NORFOLK VA (WTKR)- Returning home for their final home stand of the regular season, the Norfolk Admirals faced off against their divisional rival, the Reading Royals, in one last match-up. In a closely contested game, the Admirals secured a 4-3 victory, marking their 40th win of the season and earning a crucial two points.
Ian Shane made his fifth start in goal for the Admirals and delivered an impressive performance, registering 23 saves out of 26 shots faced.
The scoring began early in the first period, just after the five-minute mark when Shane Sellar scored for the Royals by capitalizing on a rebound. The score remained 1-0 until Norfolk equalized later in the period. Grant Hebert netted his fifth goal of the season, redirecting a shot from Graham Sward to make it 1-1.
Both teams played a closely contested first twenty minutes, and the period ended with the score tied at 1-1. The Royals had a slight edge in shots on goal, leading 9-8.
As the second period got underway, Norfolk's forecheck intensified as they sought to take the lead. Seven minutes into the second period, Brady Fleurent gave the Admirals a power-play goal, redirecting a shot from Hank Crone. This marked Fleurent's 29th goal of the season, putting Norfolk ahead 2-1.
With under eight minutes remaining in the period, the Royals managed to tie the game again with a shot from Robert Calisti. Just three minutes later, the Admirals regained the lead when Denis Smirnov finished a breakaway, scoring his 19th goal of the season as Crone set him up for the play.
The second period ended with Norfolk leading 3-2 after they outshot the Royals 16-6 during that frame.
In the third period, with three minutes left in the game, the Royals pulled their goalie in search of the tying goal. With just over two minutes to play, Fleurent sealed the game with an empty-net goal, his 30th of the season, giving Norfolk a 4-2 advantage. However, with less than a minute remaining, Reading pulled back within one goal thanks to a shot from Jake Smith.
Despite this, Norfolk successfully defended against any last-minute attempts from Reading and secured their 40th win of the season.
Sentara Health Three Stars of the Game
1. NOR - B. Fleurent (2 goals, 1 assist, +2)
2. NOR - G. Hebert (1 goal, 1 assist)
3. NOR - D. Smirnov (1 goal, +1)
What’s Next
The Admirals will host the in-form South Carolina Stingrays at Scope for the final two home games of the regular season. Puck drop on Friday night is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The Admirals will wear their refurbished Virginia Beach uniforms for the last City Series game of the season.
